Understanding and intervening in young driver road safety

Newly-qualified drivers are the most likely drivers on the road to be involved in crashes. This is likely to reflect a combination of insufficient driving skill and deliberately choosing a risky driving style (e.g., speeding, dangerous overtaking). Projects may address the causes of risky driving (e.g., attitudes, executive functions, personality), the development of driving skill (e.g., hazard perception), and interventions to improve young driver safety. Interventions could involve health behaviour change (e.g., applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour) and/or new road safety technology (e.g., Intelligent Speed Assistance). Applicable methods include quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, video-based skills assessments and randomised controlled trials.

Initial Reading

Lazuras, L., Rowe, R., Poulter, D., Powell, P., & Ypsilanti, A. (2019). Impulsive and Self-Regulatory Processes in Risky Driving among Young People: A Dual Process Model. Frontiers in Psychology. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01170

Day, M. R., Thompson, A. R., Poulter, D. R., Stride, C. B., & Rowe, R. (2018). Why do drivers become safer over the first three months of driving? A longitudinal qualitative study. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 117, 225-231. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2018.04.007

Rowe, R., Maurice-Smith, M., Mahmood, M., Shuja, A., & Gibson, D. (2021). Understanding intentions to override intelligent speed assistance prior to widespread availability: An application of the theory of planned behaviour. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 151, 105975. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2021.105975